Device for installing electrical wall fixtures



Sept. 14, 1943. G, L, PARkEs 2,329,481

DEVICE FOR INSTALLING ELECTRl [CAL WALL FIXTURES Filed Aug. 20, 1942(Ittornegs Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES orrica;

DEVICE FOR INSTAILING-ELECIRICAL W LLFIXTURES George L. Parkes,Lyons,-Pa.'..,

Application August 20, 1942, Ser-ial-No.,4,5 5,5.48

3 Claims. (01. 174--'48) My invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in device for installing and attaching lighting fixtures tothe walls of a room, and more particularly it relates to a device forthis purpose that will facilitate installation, will protect breakageand damage to the wall aperture, will securely hold the electric wires,and will safely carry any attached lighting fixture.

My main objects are to provide an improved and economical device thatwill simplify the operation, shorten the time and save expenses inmaking such installations, avoid damages to the wall and protect theaperture in the latter, and which may be fixedly secured to any part ofthe wall so as to provide an improved and safer support for the attachedlighting fixture or other electrical connection.

When installations of re-looated or added new lighting fixtures arerequired, the known and common practice has been to out an aperturethrough the plastered or otherwise finished wall surface at the placeselected for the fixture, and

then fish the electric wires through the wall,

spaces and draw them outwardly through such aperture for connection tothe lighting fixture. The, desired position for the fixture determinesthe location of the wall aperture, leaving essentially. to chance thesuitability of the wall construction around such aperture to provide foradequate attachment and safe support for the fixture; and further theoperation of fishing out the wires and attempts to securely fasten thefixture frequently causes suflicient damages to the wall and theaperture as to require needed and costly repairs to the wall and itsdecorative finish with no certainty than this lighting fixture willremain safely secured.

My improved device effectively overcomes any such deficiencies, ordamage to the wall and its aperture, and provides for a removable andfirmly secured attachment of the lighting fixture in any part of thewall; and it essentially consists of an annular box-like member thatwill protect the aperture and strengthen the surrounding wall surface,that may be easily and securely attached to a carrying strap laid on theinterior surface of the wall and will provide an adequate hand openingfor fishing the wires, and will removably receive and fixedly carry awire clamping member having means for readily attaching the lightingfixture. More particularly my invention consists of a new and improvedconstruction for the above described purpose, the novelty and manifoldadvantages of which will be more fully described hereinafter inconnection with the accompanying iii drawing,- and specifically definedin .the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on the line 2-2.of Fig. 2,indicating a preferred,

embodiment of my invention as applied to a Thewall to which the lightingfixture is to be attachedmay, be of any well known construction; a

that indicated in the ,drawing beinga usual.

plastered ceiling wall 5, held by laths 6 to joists 1 for an upperfloor8, leaving an interior space 9 through which theelectric wires maybefished to a determinedly located wall aperture I 0.

This; aperture ill, for my improved device, has,

desirably, a, larger'diameter than usually employed, soasto-giveampleroom to extend a workmans hand into the space 9 to facilitate fishing ofthe wires. And to protect this opening and Strengthen the wallsurrounding it, weakened by-cuttingawayportions of the laths, my firstoperation,-before anyfishing for the wires, is to fit into said apertureIii the ring-like or cylindrical portion l5 of my annular box-likemember untilits, surrounding outer flange I6 is seated against; thewalli, with an inner. flange .ll surf rounding-a hand opening l8 andforming a seat for a wire-clamping member which will later herein bedescribed.

Should the flange I6 of my above described annulus, by happy chance, liebeneath a joist I, a screw through the plaster 5 into said joist willfirmly anchor that portion, but the diametrally opposite side must besecured, and in most cases the flange l6 merely seats against theplaster all around making it diflicult to securely fasten it to the wallor plaster. To secure my flange I6, I take advantage of the large handopening I8, to insert into the interior space 9, of this wall several,usually two will sufiice, strap plates or batten-like strips 20 and Iarrange these to lie across a plurality of laths 6 tangentially to saidannulus and secure the flange 16 to these straps as by screw bolts 2|passing through the plaster and lath. These straps clamp the flangetightly to the plaster, and the strain of this fastening is divided andspread over enough wall surface to safely carry any electric lightfixture to be hung therefrom.

With the box-like member or annulus thus securely held in place on thewall, fishing of the wires may be easily accompanied, helped materiallyby the large hand aperture l8, and the aperture l being fully protectedagainst damage in drawing the wires therethrough. With the wires drawnthrough this hand aperture l8, the next operation is to securely clampthem against retraction and for ready attachment to the fixture and toprovide means for securing the fixture.

My improved means for these purposes, as shown in the drawing, comprisesa plate 25 adapted to fit within the ring portion of said annulus andseat against the flang ll of the latter, and said plate has apertures 26through which the wires are drawn, and a central aper ture for a studpost 29 of a wire clampin togglelike fixture 28 mounted on said plateThis clamping fixture i shown with recess and screw-bolt clamp plates 3|in registry with the plate apertures 26 to accommodate up to fourelectric circuit wires and it has radial extensions 32, 32, which areshown as diametrally opposed and adapted to enter through notches l9, [9on said annulus or ring flange H, and when turned out of registry withsaid notches, to seat on the top side of said flange IT, to which theymay be clamped by tightening screws 33 normally loosely holding clampingfixture 28 to plate 25.

The stud post 29 projects downwardly through the central aperture inplate 25, and'may be threaded, or otherwise adapted, to engage thesupportin pipe for a lighting fixture, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,with its rose cup entirely enclosing and hiding from sight the flange l6of the annulus member.

With my improved device, as above described, it will be readily seenthat my annulus member, first easily applied to the wall aperture I0 andsecurely held to the wall 5 by means of the interior straps or battens20, not only adequately prevents wall damages but greatly facilitatesall necessary fishing for the wires. And the wires, drawn through thehand opening I8 maybe quickly clamped in the recesses 30 by tighteningthe screw bolts of clamp plates 3|, with the wire ends extended throughthe plate aperture 26 for attachment to the lighting fixture as usual.After the wires are thus secured to the free clampin member, this plate25 and its attached clamping holder are inserted within the ring I5, and

the radial extensions 32, 32 entered through notches l9, l9, and turnedout of registry with the latter and plate 25 seated against flange I],then tightening of screws 33 will firmly secure them in place, and thelighting fixture may be attached to stud post 29. There is no fumblingor hunting of hidden or difiicult connecting parts, and the entireoperation may be completed in short time with little skill, and willinsure a safe support for the lighting fixture.

My improved device has proved of great value and convenience and hasaved considerable time and expense in remodeling old buildings, but itis not limited to such work, and it may be usefully applied to certainside walls, as well as the ceiling wall shown in the drawing. And thespecific preferred construction disclosed in the above description anddrawing may of course be modified within the spirit of my invention adefined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described for installing electricalwall-fixtures, the combination with a removable wire-end andfixturecarrying member having a toggle clamping arm, of a fixed supportfor attachabl securing said carrying member comprising, a wall-apertureprotectin annulus, defining a hand-pole opening through said wall,having a rim-portion engaging in said wall aperture, an exteriorrim-flange encircling the wall around said aperture, and an interiorrim-flange having notches to receive said toggle arm and forming aclamping seat for supporting said carrying member.

2. In the construction set forth in claim 1, means for fixedly securinsaid aperture protecting annulus to said wall comprising a strap laidinterioriy of said wall tangentially to said rim, and a screw clampextending through said exterior rim-flange and wall and engaging saidstrap.

3. A device of the character described for installing electricalwall-fixtures comprising, a wall-aperture protectin annulus fixedlyattachable to the wall, defining a hand-hole through the latter, andhaving a notched interior flangedrim forming a supporting seat, and aremovably attachable wire-end and fixture-carrying memher having atoggle-like arm turnably engageable through said notches with onesurface of said supporting seat, a co-operating plate engageable withthe other surface of said supporting seat, and screw means for attachinsaid plate to said arm so as to clampingly engage said supporting plateto removably attach said carrying member to said fixed annulus.

GEORGE L. PARKES.

